Juliana Mickwitz

Born into the Russian aristocracy in 1889, Juliana Mickwitz learned German, Russian, and English with near equal fluency. Escaping the Bolsheviks, she found passage to Poland in 1920. She used her language skills to hold several positions in Poland, but was forced to flee the Nazi invasion in 1939. With the U.S. attaché, Ms. Mickwitz escaped the Nazis in Poland, the Hague, and Lisbon.

After moving to the United States, she worked for the War Department's Military Intelligence Directorate. She translated Polish, Russian, and German documents, and in 1946, received a Meritorious Civilian Service Award. Later that year, the Army Security Agency hired her to translate plaintext voice.

In 1963, she received a second Meritorious Award and then retired from NSA. However, she continued as a consultant to NSA until 1966.